On the MRI subject again

Richard G. · Dec 30, 2015

How many of you have to have a head X-ray done before having an MRI?
They asked if I ever did much welding, and when I said yes, they would not do the MRI until they X-rayed my head to see if I had any metal in my eyes. Any ferrous metal in your body is coming out when you have an MRI.
Luckily, stainless does not matter.
A friend has a piece of steel in his arm from brush hogging. He cannot have an MRI.
Richard in NW SC

gab · Dec 30, 2015

I had it done, no big deal but what I don't like is the IV full of dye for the last two CT scans I had, effects people in different ways... for me it's an instant red hot feeling.

Old weldor · Dec 30, 2015

I welded for a living,so when I had an mri I had to have an eye x Ray first.

Fred Werring · Dec 30, 2015

Same here, had to have my eyes checked first.

KenL · Dec 30, 2015

They gave me some sort of an eye scan before the MRI. When they did the head MRI they found exactly what I told them they would find, nothing. I told them they were looking way too high!!!

old · Dec 30, 2015

Back in 1995 before I had my back surgery they wanted to do an MRI because a simple X-ray did not tell them what was wrong with my back. They did a full body X-ray because I was a welder/metal worker and they wanted to be sure I had no metal in my body any place

Rollie NE PA · Dec 30, 2015

Had one done last June before a MRI of my shoulder. In the past I did have a rust ring from a piece of metal in my eye. Dr had to shave it off the eye.

dr sportster · Dec 30, 2015

I told the nurse I was a weldor and she checked No . I said I think you have to x-ray my eyes first. She said only your knees will be in the magnetic field. I wasn't real happy.

Steven-Id · Dec 30, 2015

Is the red hot feeling you are talking about the same as me. I feel like i just peed my pants.

Steven

RBoots · Dec 30, 2015

I was a welder when I used to work on heavy equipment. I have had numerous MRI's and have never had an X-ray of my head. Even with a peanut sized piece of steel embedded in my abdomen that I acquired when a track pin in a pin press shattered. It was x-rayed and they decided it would cause more muscle damage than it was worth, so they left it in there. Can still stick a shop magnet to my stomach lol. I always stay up late before an MRI, that way I'm tired, once they put me in there, I go right to sleep. I tell you what is not fun, is having that "radioactive" dye injected into a joint and having the live X-ray done on it. The burning and pressure of that dye in the joint was terrible.

Ross

37chief · Dec 30, 2015

I hurt my finger a few years back. To make sure everything looked fine (and make more money for the hospital) they did an x ray. The nurse told me I had a piece of metal in one of my other fingers. I said that's possible. Stan

gab · Dec 30, 2015

No although they told me some people felt like that. My wife broke out in hives from the dye, with me it was more of a spontaneous combustion type of feeling, hot in a hurry.

ScoutB · Dec 30, 2015

I never got asked about welding. They only asked if I had ever had an eye injury that might have left some slivers behind.
Mine was a head MRI ordered by an ear, nose and throat doc to look at my inner ears for the cause of my occasional vertigo. What they found instead was a brain tumor about the size of a golf ball. Fortunately it was operable and benign. I actually got the news one year ago tomorrow which made for a pretty dismal New Year's Eve. My surgery was last February and after a few weeks of recovery at home I went back to work and life goes on. I had a follow up MRI in April and again in October and all is well.

VicS · Dec 30, 2015

I agree. The dye is Scarry and dangerous.

Usedtobeiowadave · Dec 30, 2015

Shellfish based dye, IVP I think it's called. Power puked and close to anaflactic shock.

fixerupper · Dec 30, 2015

Had a head xray one time before an MRI.

dpendzic · Dec 30, 2015

I have non-ferrous shrapnel in my spleen---can only have an mri rated 1.5 tesla--the new machines are 3.0---- was told that they wont use 3.0 even if you have a non-metallic stent in an artery

Paul Shuler · Dec 31, 2015

I do MRIs for a living in a large hospital in Springfield MO. Other than pace makers and defibrillators metal of any type in the eye is one of the biggest things we worry about. Steel in any other part of the body in time forms a lot of scar around it. The magnet may torque it around or even heat it up but in most all cases the scar will prevent any damage. The eye is a different story. Its very soft and we could spin the metal or pull it out or heat it. None of which is going to do your eye any good. "Most" surgically implanted metal is safe to be scanned. The dye that some spoke about that make you sick or hot is the iodine dye used in CT scans. Our contrast is made from gadolinium, we even give it to new born babies in very small does so it is pretty safe stuff. Most all MRIs these days are thousands of times stronger than the earth?s magnetic pull and can be deadly if taken lightly so if in doubt about any metal or implants that you may have please be sure and ask you technologist about them prior to your scan. Better safe than sorry. If anyone has any questions about MRIs I will do my best to answer them. And if I don?t know I will find someone that does.

K Effective · Dec 31, 2015

Thanks, Paul for your expert information. That's what this site is all about.

Before my first MRI, I had answered yes, may have some metal in my eye. Went for a head X-ray. Problem with new technician, she ended up shooting six times before they got a useable one. Good thing I left my dosimetry at home that day! Still, better safe than sorry.

RBoots · Dec 31, 2015

Know what you mean, mine was pressure fed into the space between my shoulder joint via a VERY large syringe. It felt like it was pushing my joints apart (maybe it was), and like you said, burned like fire.

Ross

Blackhole49 · Dec 31, 2015

Been there and done that.

gwstang · Jan 1, 2016

Say Paul, I have a titanium plate in my neck with the stainless steel screws. The last MRI that I had, since having the plate installed, the tech asked me the usual questions about metal working etc. When I told her about the plate, she said the MRI would not affect it. I didn't think anymore about it during the test but that thing in my neck started getting hot. Does the MRI affect such an implant? Been wondering for awhile.

On the MRI subject again

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads